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Hasselblad X-Pan- the Ultimate 35mm Panoramic Camera?
- Posted on
- By Jamie Diger- photos by Zane Allen
- Posted in 35mm camera, hasselblad, panoramic, xpan
The Hasselblad Xpan (sometimes branded as Fujifilm TX-1 and TX-2) is a 35mm panoramic film camera in a class of it's own. It's compatible with three interchangeable Fujinon lenses and offers the ability to switch between panoramic and standard size frames mid-roll.
A 35mm film camera with a cult following, the Hasselblad Xpan shoots 24x65mm panoramic frames and standard 24x36mm with the option to switch mid-roll.
TL;DR- It's wide, it's sharp, and your friends will be jealous. The XPan is a high demand 35mm panoramic film camera that lives up to the hype.
The Xpan was originally released in 1998. About 16,800 units were produced making it a relatively rare compared to other Hasselblad models like the 500C which had a production run of over 75,000. In 2003, Hasselblad released the Xpan II and produced less than 6,000 units.
Xpan II introduced several changes. The most notable being the addition of an LCD display on the bottom edge of the viewfinder which shows the shutter speed and exposure status symbols.
Both the Xpan and Xpan II are compatible with three dedicated Xpan lenses produced by Fujifilm- the 30mm f/5.6 Aspherical, 45mm f/4, and 90mm f/4. These specialized lenses are designed with an extra large image circle to cover the wide panoramic format.
The Xpan was a joint project produced by Fujifilm and released by Hasselblad. A small number were released with Fujifilm branding. The Fujifilm TX-1 (and later TX-2) cameras are nearly identical with only the name badge being different.
Production for the Xpan II ended in 2006. Twenty years later, these unique 35mm panoramic film cameras are in high demand on the aftermarket. The rangefinder design, titanium body, and sharp Fujinon lenses set a high bar for panoramic 35mm cameras. While other panoramic cameras have hit the market, we've yet to see any true competitors emerge in the 35mm film camera market.
